Receptacle closure



NOV. 22, 1938. MEROLLE 1 2,137,695

RECEPTACLE CLOSURE Filed Dec. 24, 1931 Patented Nov. 22, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RECEPTACLE CLOSURE Application December 24, 1931, Serial No. 582,913

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a receptacle closure, and particularly to a closure which is formed of two cup-shaped pieces of sheet material nested together one within the other, the inner member or shell being formed with means for engaging a receptacle to hold the closure connected with the receptacle, and the outer member or cap consti tuting an ornamental cover, protector and reinforcement for the inner member, and an object of the invention is to provide a receptacle closure of this character which shall be easy to manufacture, which will be of ornamental and attractive appearance, which will be strong and substantial, and which may be produced in quantities at small cost.

A further object is to provide a receptacle closure of this character in which no raw edge of material will be exposed at any point throughout the closure either inside or outside thereof.

A further and more detailed object is to provide simple and efiicient means, effective without the performance of an additional operation during manufacture, of retaining the inner and outer members against possibility or rotation with respect to each other at all times.

A further detailed object is to so construct the two members of the closure that they will have a constant resilient pressure against each other effective to hold them against possibility of relative movement during use.

Other objects and aims of the invention, more or less specific than those referred to above, will be in part obvious and in part pointed out in the course of the following description of the elements, combinations, arrangements of parts and applications of principles constituting the invention; and the scope of protection contemplated will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing which is to be taken as a part of this specification, and in which I have shown merely a preferred form of embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a receptacle closure constructed in accordance with this invention, a part being broken away and shown in vertical section for the better illustration of details.

.Fig. 2 is .a fragmentary top plan view of the structure seen in Fig. l. N

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail sectional view upon the plane of line IIIIII of Fig. l, and;

Figs. 4. and 5 are diagrammatic sectional views illustrating slightly modified forms of the cap and shell members and their co-operative fea- Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4, on an enlarged scale, but broken away to show one side only, the other side being identical;

Fig. '7 is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6, and to the same scale, but broken away;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5, on an enlarged scale, but broken away so as to. only. show one side, the other side being identical; and;

Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 8, but partly broken away.

Referring to the drawing for describing in detail the structure therein illustrated, and referring first to the structure illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3, the reference character L indicates the inner member of the receptacle closure while the reference character G indicates the outer member of the closure.

The inner or cap member L is made of thin sheet material, such as sheet metal, and is formed with a top wall I for overlying the receptacle opening and a marginal annular side wall or flange portion 2 for overhanging the annular surface of the mouth of the receptacle in the usual manner. The side wall 2 is suitably shaped, as for instance by having threads as '3 pressed therein, to releasably engage oo-operative formations provided upon the outer annular surface of the receptacle. 7

At the lower margin of the side wall 2 said wall is flared outwardly as at 4 and thence extended downwardly and inwardly as at 5.

The outer or shell member G is made of thin sheet material, such as sheet metal, and is formed with a top wall 6 for overlying the top wall I of the cap and a marginal annular side wall or flange portion 1 for overhanging the side wall 2 of the cap member.

At the lower margin of the side wall 1 said wall is turned inwardly as at 8 to underlie the inturned portion 5 of the cap member, and is thence turned upwardly and outwardly as at 9, and thence again downwardly as at Ill within the lower margin of the cap member.

The lower marginal portions of the sidewalls of the shell and cap members are thus interfolded with each other into an inwardly disposed wire edge, which is designated generally by the reference character H, which is of double thickness throughout an appreciable portion of its cross sectional circumference, thereby producing a wire edge of great strength and stiffness.

It is noted that no raw edge of metal is at any point in this closure exposed to vision or to access of a corroding substance, suchfor instance as iii ketchup, from within the receptacle. The raw edges, as. !2 and H, of the shell and cap members are curled within the wire edge H where they are both permanently confined wholly out of sight and not accessible to any corroding influence at least in-so-far as such influence might result detrimentally to the appearance of the closure.

In forming the wire edge H the lower marginal portion of the shell member is curled about the lower marginal portion of the cap member so that both these lower portions are simultaneously curled into interfolded relation as the operation of completing the wire edge proceeds.

It is important further to note that during this operation of curling together into interfolded relationthe lower margins of the cap and shell, a powerful pressure is necessarily exerted between the two members tending to force the cap member relatively upwardly and the shell member relatively downwardly, thereby pressing the top wall members I and 6,. respectively of the cap and shell members tightly againsteach other. The effect of this force is'made more pronounced by reason of the fact that the wire edge is of considerable cross sectional width radially of the closure, thereby bringing a generous expanse of the two members of the closure against each other at the wire edge and in the direction of the pressure.

It is further to be noted that in forming the outturned'portion 9'of the wire edge, said por tion is forced snugly against the relatively under-surface of the outflaring portion 4 of the cap member, thereby adding further pressure of the cap member relatively upwardly against the top wall of the shell member.

The outfiaring portion 4 of the cap member, against which all of the pressure from the wire edge is exerted, is so formed as to possess an appreciable degree of resilience. Its outfiaring disposition issuch that it constitutes in effect an annular; resiliently flexible connection between thewire edge portion and the remainder of the cap member, and the pressure from the parts, of

the wire edge is. exerted substantially at' the outer circumferential margin of, this resilient connection.

The pressure from the wire edge exerted for holding the two top walls I: and 6 against each other is transmitted throughthe flexible. resilient portion 4 of the. cap member and is, in:- tended'to be sufficiently great so as to cause a certain'amount of flexing of said portion 4 and, thereby generate a perpetually maintained resilient pressure of the top walls of the cap andv shell members against each other.

The interfolded relationship of'the lower margin of the cap and shell members, in the wire edge, are in most cases sufiicient to prevent any possibility of inter-rotation of the shell and" cap members in use, but the present invention con templates that, if desired, further means to this end may be provided as for instance by forming -co-operative interengaging conformations upon the cap and shell members such that when said members are held together in position as here-- inabove set forth, said co-operative conformations will be held in such relation to each other as to positively lock the cap and shell members against even the remotest possibility of rotary movement with respect to each other.

An example of such a means is illustrated herein as consisting of corrugations as Is formed upon the top wall I: of the cap member and similar corrugations as 14 formed upon the top wall 6 of the shell member, the corrugations I3 and I4 being set to radiate from the center of the walls I and 6 and being disposed so that they mesh together, as most clearly indicated in Fig. 3.

The corrugated surfaces above referred to may be formed in the walls I and 6 prior to assembling the cap and shell members together, and when said members are placed together the corrugations will naturally co-incide and intermesh so that thereafter, when the wire edge has been completed, they will be so held in intermeshing relation as indicated in Fig. 3 that no possibility of relative rotary movement of the cap and shell 7 members is present.

If desired the material, for instance sheet metal, from which the cap and shell members are formed-may be lacquered upon both of its surfaces, and when this is done the contact surfaces of the two members, not only in the corrugations I3 and I4, but also at the wire edge H, will be held cemented together, bythe lacquer, and thus the members are additionally retained against relative movement. Thepresence of the lacquer will also serve to seal the joint between the por-- tion 9of the wire edge H and the portion 4: of

of cap member. more effectually against the posispositioned so that although turned inwardly.

ofthe closure, itsinnermost diameter is equal to or greate than the outer-most diameter of the threads on thereceptacle, thereby to clear said threads when the closure is being applied onto or removed from the receptacle, as will be readily understood. In the closure as illustrated' the-wire edge stands radially outside of the vertical plane of the inner surface of the largest diameter of the threads 3 of the cap member.

In the modification illustrated by Figures and 6' the structure is the same as has already been set forth except'that in this instance the lower annular portion of the cap member is not curled'inwardly within the wire edge as in the previous views, but extends straight downwardly from: the portion 4; as at I5, within the wire edge. The extreme lower edge of the cap member may have contact'with the interior surface of the wire edge but it is intended that the main force from the wire edge against the capmember, for holding the top walls 6 and I of said members pressed together, is exerted against the cap member by the inner edge portion as l6 of the wire edge where it engages against the portion? 4 of the cap member as indicated.

Thisview also shows the outer annular wall I of the shell member as fitting more snugly about thewall 2 of the cap member. In fact it is intended that the inner surface of the wall 1' shall engage against, or be engaged by, the outer surface of the wall 2 so that said walls mutually reinforce each other substantially throughout their extent, thereby enabling the use of agrade or kind of sheet material relatively thinner and weaker and cheaper, than the grade required in the building up of a structure as hereinabove described, and without loss of strengthin the completed closure.

The lower marginal part of the wall I of the shell member is shaped so as to flare outwardly as atl'l above' the outer annular portion of the resilientpart 4 of the cap member. In practice it is intended that when the shell and cap members are originally nested together, the part 4 shall be'spaced slightly away from the part ll, but that'in the operation of forming the wire edgeH the edge portion l6 of the said wire edge will engage against the portion 4 and flex said portion 4' toward and preferably against the inner surface'of the portion H thereby forming a lock between the cap and shell members.

Also concerning the structure of Fig. 4 it is further noted that the inter-engaging relationship of the cap and shell members at the wire edge is such that, even if the upper portions of these two members, for instance the top walls l and, 6, have no engagement with each other, still the two members would be efficiently locked together. The portion I! of the shell member provides 'a shoulder or downwardly facing surface portion of the shell member against which theupwardly exerted pressure from the edge portion 16 of the wire edge H clamps and grips the-portion 4 of the cap member. In some instances it may be desirableto construct a closure inthis' manner, the portions as l3 and I4 being provided, if found necessary, merely as additional means for retaining the cap and shell'members against inter-rotation, but there being no appreciable pressure of said corrugated portions against each other vertically of the closure.

'Inthe modification illustrated by Fig. 5 the structure is again the same as described with respect-to the previous figures except that in this instance the lower annular portion of the cap member does not extend downwardly at all from the resilient flaring portion 4. The portion 4 simply projects radially outwardly and terminates with its raw edge surface facing directly radially outwardly of the closure. In this instance the wire edge I-I simply curls inwardly beneath the outer margin of the portion 4 and is intended to press tightly thereagainst, preferably so as to flex said portion 4, to the same extent as heretofore. In this illustration the outer wall as I of the cap member is shown as varying slightly from the forms in the previous figures, in that it is of a generally frusto-conical shape, being of a diameter at its lower portion sufficient to just receive the outflaring flange 4 of the cap, and being of adiameter at its upper portion to just receive the upper portion of the cap. Since the cap L is formed with no extension beyond the portion 4 it requires somewhat less material than in either of the other illustrated structures.

By making the wall I of the shell member of frusto-conical shape said wall is materially stiffened not only in the finished closure but also against collapse during the operation of turning in the wire edge H.

If desired the wall 1 of the shell member of the structures, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5, may be formed with vertically extending corrugations, being indicated by the reference character ii! in Fig. 5, and the innermost portions of these corrugations may, if desired, be disposed so as to rest against the outermost portions of the wall! for mutual re-inforcement of the walls .2 and 1 as above referred to concerning the illustration Fig. 4. In thestructure illustrated by Figs. 1 and 5 these corrugations l8 may, if desired, be so formed that their lower end portions will constitute a series of downwardly facing shoulders, as 19, corresponding to the downwardly facing shoulder formed by the portion I! of Fig. 4, and this shoulder, or shoulders, l9 may be disposed to stand so as to be engaged by the margin of the portion 4 of the cap when the wire edge presses against the said portion 4 as described with reference to the parts l6 and ll of Fig. 4.

During the operation of rolling in the wire edge H against the margin of the portion 4, said margin may, if desired, be pressed sufliciently tightly against the series of shoulders as I 9 to cause each of the shoulders insaid series to produce an indentation of greater or less depth in the margin of the portion 4, and, since the wire edge will continue to hold the indented margin of the portion 4 against the shoulders, the shell will be thereby positively locked against rotation with respect to the cap.

The presence of the corrugations l8 in the wall '1 provides an additional advantage in that it furnishes a means by which the closure may be more efficiently gripped in amachine for performing the operation of attaching the closure onto a receptacle. The shoulder, or shoulders HL like the shoulder 11, forms a stop above or behind the margin of the portion 4 which is very desirable in preventing distortion of any of the parts during the operation of rolling in the wire edge.

It is noted that in both the structures of Figs. 4 and 6 and 5 and 8 the raw edges of the material of the cap and shell members are concealed and protected to thesame purpose as above referred to concerning the structure Figs. 1 to 3.

As many changes could be made in this construction. without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description, or shown in the accompanying drawing, shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. A receptacle closure consisting of a cap member and a shell member, the shell member having a top wall portion and a marginal depending side wall, the cap member having also a top wall portion and a marginal depending side wall and being nested within the shell member so that the top wall portions of said two members stand adjacent each other, the side wall portion of the shell member being formed with vertically disposed corrugations circumferentially thereof disposed to project inwardly of the shell member so as to engage the side wall portion of the cap member for mutual re-inforcement of said two side wall portions, said corrugations providing a series of downwardly facing shoulders upon the inner surface of the shell member, the side wall portion of the cap member having a shoulder forming part to engage the mentioned series of shoulders, and means formed upon the side wall portion of the shell member engaging the shoulder forming part of the side wall portion of the cap member to hold said shoulder forming part of the cap member against said series of shoulders.

, 2;: A receptacle .closuretconsistingof a" cap member and a? shell memberrthe'shell member having atop: .wall. portion anda marginal depending side wall, the. cap member having also a top wall por-, tion' and amarginal depending side wall and being nested within the shel-lmember so that the top wall portionsrof'said two members stand adjacentxeachl other, the side wall portion of the shell memberv being formed with a series of circumferentialy l spaced shoulders interiorly thereof; the side wall portion of the'cap member having a-shoulder forming part disposed to engagewthe mentioned series of shoulders, and the side wall portion of the shell member being-bent. tocform antinturned wire edge thereon, a porti'onof which is disposed to: constitute another shoulderinteriorly of the closure in such a positioniasto, press againstthe shoulder forming partzof theicap member and press said shoulder ,-forming: part of the'cap member against said seriesof shoulders:

3.-. Airecepta'cle closure consistingof a cap'member-anda shelli member, the shell member havingca' top walltportion and a marginal depending side wall, the cap member having also a top wall portion and a: marginal-depending side Wall and being nested within the: shell: member so that the. top'wall portions of said two membersstand adjacent each other,'the top wall portions of each of said two members being formed with corrugations which mate together and thereby cooperate when said cap member is placed tightly iniits nesting-position against the mentioned top wa-ll portion of the shell member'to hold said capand shell members against rotation with respect to each other, and said cap and shell members*havingiotherportions interengaging to press and: hold: saidcap member tightly in its nesting directionagainst the mentioned top 'wall portion of: theshell member to'thereby render said first cooperative portions effective.

4; A'recepta-cle closure comprising a cap member and-a shell member, the shell member having a top wall portion and a marginal dependingside below said top walls; to hold said members innested relationship and said corrugations in en-' gagement.

5. A receptacle closure comprising a cap member and. a shell member, the shell member having a top wall portion and a marginal dependingside Wall, the capmember having also a top wall; 3 portion and a-marginal dependingrside wall and being nested, within the shellvmember so that: the top wall portions of said two members stand.

adjacent each other, the side Wall portion ofthe shell member being formed with vertical corrugations circumferentially thereof, disposed to.

project inwardly of the shell member, the side walls of saidcap and shell members engaging,

at the bottom marginal portion of the cap side wall, and said corrugations in the side wall of said shell being located above the said engaging portions of the sidewalls of the cap and shell and between them; and the top walls of the, cap and shell, said top wall portions of the cap andshell having interengaging corrugations.

6. In a closure cap of the class-described, the

combinations of an inner cap member having-a skirt portion provided with container engaging means, anduan outer shell member adapted to encase saidcap member, said shell member having a depending skirt provided with an'inturned rolled edgeturned into substantially a hollow bead having a convex upper outer surface on the interior of said shell member, said upper convex surface of said bead engaging the bottom of,

the skirt ofsaid: cap member to secure said cap and shell members together.

AUGUSTUS L. 

